Artwork
Tablou „Omagiu”, semnat N. Porumb și datat în partea dreaptă jos. Tabloul o reprezintă pe Elena Ceaușescu cu tricolorul în spate sub formă de curcubeu; în partea de jos a tabloului o ”mare” de trandafiri. Comandat de Comitetul Județean de Partid Sibiu și dăruit Elenei Ceaușescu cu ocazia zilie de naștere (ianuarie 1989).

Tablou „Omagiu”, semnat N. Porumb și datat în partea dreaptă jos. Tabloul o reprezintă pe Elena Ceaușescu cu tricolorul în spate sub formă de curcubeu; în partea de jos a tabloului o ”mare” de trandafiri. Comandat de Comitetul Județean de Partid Sibiu și dăruit Elenei Ceaușescu cu ocazia zilie de naștere (ianuarie 1989). is a print by N.Porumb. It is held in the collection of the National Museum of Romanian History. The work, titled “Omagiu,” bears the signature of N.
About this work
Overview
The work, titled “Omagiu,” bears the signature of N. Porumb and a date placed in the lower right corner. It portrays Elena Ceaușescu standing before a stylised rainbow rendered in the national tricolour, with a profusion of roses spilling from her arms. The composition was commissioned by the Sibiu County Party Committee and presented to Elena Ceaușescu on her birthday in January 1989.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is Elena Ceaușescu, depicted in a light pink blouse, her dark hair framing her face. The rainbow behind her, painted in the red‑yellow‑blue scheme of the Romanian flag, functions as a symbolic backdrop, while the abundant roses—white, pink and red—suggest admiration and reverence.
Technique & Style
Porumb employs a flat, graphic treatment for the rainbow, eschewing naturalistic sky effects in favour of a bold, two‑dimensional band of colour. The roses are rendered with meticulous detail, their near‑photographic realism contrasting with the simplified background, creating a visual tension between realism and propaganda‑style abstraction.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced under the direction of the Sibiu County Party Committee, a local organ of the Romanian Communist Party, and was officially gifted to Elena Ceaușescu as a birthday present in early 1989, just months before the regime’s collapse. Its provenance remains tied to the political patronage of the late‑Communist period.
Context
Created during the final year of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s rule, the piece reflects the cult of personality surrounding the Ceaușescu family. The use of national colours and floral motifs aligns with state‑sanctioned imagery that sought to associate the leadership with patriotic and idyllic symbolism.
Artist & collection
Artist
These are two 1989 prints called *Homage* signed by N. Porumb. One shows Elena Ceaușescu against a rainbow tricolor with a sea of roses below, the other shows Nicolae Ceaușescu with the same backdrop and a sea of…

















